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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · craft · file · cell · squash · board

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. board — to get on
  3. file — a document
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. board — a committee
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cold — an illness
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. file — a tool
  14. cold — not warm
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. file — a line of people
  17. squash — to crush
  18. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com